benedict



H. l. BENEDICT.

JACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-14.1918. RENEWED MAY 29,1919. 1,324,721.

Patented Dee. 9,1919.

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ATTOMIEVS 'nnirnn sra rns PATENT I orrion.

HENRY I. BENEDICT, on NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

JACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 9, 1919.

Application filed March 14, 1918, Serial No. 222,327. Renewed may 29, 1919. Serial No. 300,789.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, HENRY I. BENEDICT, a citlzen of the United States, and a resident of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and Improved Jack, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description This invention relates to lifting jacks for automobile and other uses, and the invention has for its general, objects to improve the construction and operation of devices of this character so as to be reliable and eflicient in use, easily and quickly adjusted and of durable and substantial design.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a jack in which the lifting element is capable of being easily I and quickly set to any desired position withirespect to the load, and then operated by a meshes a 'worm wheel that is-adapted to mesh with an operating worm, the worm wheel being shiftable into and out of engagement with the worm, so that the lifting element can be readily adjusted to any desired position.

Another specific object of the invention is the provision of a novel form of base and barrel adjustably mounted therein, whereby the height of the jack can be varied within comparatively wide limits, so that the jack is adaptable for high or low axles or other loads.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement ofparts which will be set forth withparticularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the in ention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the jack;

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views. respectively. on the lines 22 and 33, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the base of the iack, B the barrel. C the lifting element. 1) the worm wheel meshing with the lifting element, E the operating worm and F the releaser for throwing the worm wheel into and out of engagement with the worm. The base A comprises a vertically disposed tubular body 1 having a bottom flange 2 to provide a suitablesupporting surface for the jack, and inthe upper end of the body 1 is an internal flange. 3

which has at spaced points recesses 4, as shown in Fig. 3.. The barrel B is of such diameter as to slide in the flange 3, and it has a plurality of lugs 5 which are vertically spaced apart. these lugs being capable of sliding vertically through the recesses4 of the base; By moving the barrel up or down while the lugs 5 are in alinement with the recesses 4, the effective height of the ack can be varied, and when the desired height is attained the barrel B is turned with respect to the base to throw the'lugs '5 out of alinement with the recesses 4, as shown in Fig. 3; To hold the barrel in place in this position the upper part ofthe base is rendered resilient by reason of a vertical slit 6, at which slit are lugs7 through which passes a clamping b0lt8 so as to contract the upper end of the base and clamp it to the barrel B. To prevent the barrel from being entirely withdrawn from the base it is provided with an enlargement or flange 9 at its lower end so as to interlock with the internal flange 3 of the base.

The lifting element C is preferably in the form of a screw and slides up and down in the barrel B, which has an opening 10 at its top through which the lifting element projects, there being a load-carrying plate 11 on the upper end of the lifting element. The threads simply serve as teeth with which the worm wheel D permanently meshes. This worm wheel D is housed withbarrel, in which extension is also housed and rotatably mounted the worm E. On the in a chambered lateral extension 12 on the worm is a shaft extension 13 having a non- V wheel D is mounted in the releasing de.

vice F, which is a carrier in the form of a lever mounted to swing on a fulcrum 15,

saidlever having an operating end 16 projecting out of the housing 12 so that, by pressing this handle 16 downwardly, as shown by dotted lines, the worm Wheel is raised out of engagement with the worm, so as to permit the lifting element C to be raised V quickly into engagement. With the 'ment.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily under- .stood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I. now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new andldesire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A jack comprising a casing having an 'opening, a lifting screw loosely positioned in said opening, a worm wheel meshing with the threads of said screw, a wormmeshing with said worm wheel, means for rotating said worm, and means for moving the worm wheel out ofmesh with said worm whereby the lifting screw may be moved in and out of said casing without operating said worm.

2. A jack comprising a casing, a lifting screw loosely mounted in said casing, said lifting screw being rotatable, a worm, a

worm wheel normally meshing with said worm and with said lifting screw, and a pivotally mounted supporting lever supporting said worm wheel, said lever being positioned to move the worm wheel out of engagement with said worm whereby the lifting screw may be moved independently of the worm. I

3. In a jack comprising a casing, a lifting screw loosely mounted in said casing, said lifting screw being rotatable, a driving worm, and a worm wheel meshing with the driving worm and the screw.

4. A jack comprising a supporting structure, a rotatable liftin element having threads, a rotary member liaving a single set of teeth engaging said threads whereby the rotation of the rotary member will move the lifting element axially, a second member having threads engaging the teeth of the rotary member to rotate the rotary member, and means for relatively moving said members to disengage the same for permitting said lifting element to move axially independently in either of two directions.

HENRY I. BENEDICT. 

